The experiment is officially in its final act. It’s January 2026, and the air in Cleveland feels heavy with the same question that has haunted this franchise for four years: What do we do with Deshaun Watson?
He’s still here.
Despite the injuries, the surgeries, and the emergence of Shedeur Sanders, Watson remains on the roster. It's a reality dictated more by math than by football. You've heard the numbers, but they’re almost hard to wrap your head around. A $46 million fully guaranteed salary for 2026. A cap hit that, if left untouched, would balloon to over $80 million. That isn't just a record; it’s a financial moonshot that could sink an entire team’s depth.
The Achilles Heel (Literally)
Honestly, nobody saw the second rupture coming.
When Watson went down in October 2024 against the Bengals, it was a tragedy in the sports sense. A non-contact injury. The cart. The tears. We all thought that was the low point. Then came January 2025. Watson was in Miami, doing his rehab, and a simple ankle roll re-tore the same right Achilles. Just like that, his 2025 season was over before the first snowflake hit Lake Erie.
He spent the entirety of the 2025 season on the PUP list.
Think about that for a second. Between the suspension in 2022, the shoulder surgery in 2023, and the double Achilles disaster, Watson has played in exactly 19 games over a five-year span. He has literally missed more games than he has played in since the Obama administration was a fresh memory.
While Watson sat, the Browns moved on. They didn't have a choice. With the number two overall pick in the 2025 draft, Andrew Berry pulled the trigger on Shedeur Sanders. It was a "break glass in case of emergency" move that basically signaled the end of the Watson era as a guaranteed starter, even if the contract says otherwise.
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The Contract That Won't Die
Basically, the Browns are in a financial prison of their own making.
You’ll hear fans say, "Just cut him!" It's not that simple. If Cleveland had cut Watson before June 1st of this year, they would have faced a dead money charge of roughly $131 million. That isn't just a cap hit; that's a roster-clearing catastrophe. Even a post-June 1 designation doesn't solve the problem, as it would still leave $80 million on the books for 2026 and another $50 million-plus in 2027.
So, they restructure. Again.
It’s become a yearly tradition in Berea. The Browns convert a massive chunk of his salary into a signing bonus, kick the can down the road, and pray the salary cap rises fast enough to swallow the mess. By adding "void years"—basically dummy years at the end of the contract that exist only for accounting—they’ve spread the pain into 2027 and 2028.
- 2022: 6 games played (Suspension)
- 2023: 6 games played (Shoulder)
- 2024: 7 games played (Achilles)
- 2025: 0 games played (Re-rupture)
It’s a brutal list.
Why Deshaun Watson is Still in the Mix
Here is the part most people get wrong: Watson isn't necessarily "done" in Cleveland just because Shedeur Sanders is there.
The Browns front office, led by Andrew Berry, has been very careful with their wording lately. They’ve said Watson will have an "opportunity to compete" during the 2026 training camp. Is that a PR move to keep his trade value at something above zero? Maybe. But there’s a real-world scenario where a healthy Watson serves as a $46 million insurance policy for a young quarterback.
Kinda wild, right?
But look at the depth chart. You have Shedeur, who showed flashes of brilliance last year but is still learning the pro game. You have Dillon Gabriel, who provides a solid backup floor. And then you have Watson—the wild card. If he’s actually recovered from the second surgery, he’s still a guy who once led the league in passing yards. The Browns are paying him anyway; they might as well see if there’s any magic left in those legs.
The mobility is the big question. We saw Aaron Rodgers and Kirk Cousins struggle with their movement after their Achilles tears. Watson’s game was built on escapability. If he can’t break the pocket, he’s a different player entirely.
What Really Happened with the Trade
People forget how much Cleveland gave up. It wasn't just the $230 million.
It was three first-round picks. 2022, 2023, and 2024.
The Texans used those picks to build a powerhouse. They got Will Anderson Jr. They got Tank Dell. They got Kenyon Green and Kamari Lassiter. While the Browns were trying to keep Watson on the field, Houston was using Cleveland's draft capital to become a perennial playoff threat. It’s one of the most lopsided trades in NFL history, and there's no way to sugarcoat it.
The Browns gambled that a Top 5 QB would make those picks irrelevant. Instead, they’ve spent the last three years searching for a starter while the "Face of the Franchise" watched from the sidelines in a tracksuit.
Practical Realities for the 2026 Season
If you're a Browns fan trying to figure out how this ends, look at the "lever" moves.
- The Third Restructure: Expect the Browns to rework the deal one last time this spring. It’s the only way to get under the cap and sign their 2026 draft class.
- The Mentor Role: Watson has been praised for his football IQ. If he accepts that he’s competing with Sanders, he could actually be a valuable asset in the meeting room.
- The 2027 Exit: This is the light at the end of the tunnel. 2027 is the first year where cutting Watson becomes "manageable" (and I use that word loosely).
Honestly, the "Watson era" ended the moment the second Achilles popped. Everything since then has been a slow-motion legal and financial separation. The team is younger now. The offense is shifting toward the strengths of Sanders and a revamped wide receiver room featuring Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman.
Watson is no longer the centerpiece. He’s the expensive relic of a previous strategy.
To really understand where the Browns go from here, you have to watch the 2026 cap releases. If the team starts cutting veteran stalwarts like Joel Bitonio or David Njoku just to fit Watson’s number, you’ll know the situation has reached a breaking point. For now, they’re trying to have it both ways: developing the future while paying for the past.
It's a tightrope walk. And in Cleveland, the wind is usually blowing pretty hard.
Next Steps for Following the Situation:
Keep a close eye on the "Post-June 1" designations starting this March. If the Browns don't restructure Watson by the start of the new league year, it means they are preparing for a radical move—either a trade where they eat a massive portion of the salary or a release that signals a total "tank" year for the cap. Also, watch the training camp reports on Watson's lateral movement; that will tell you more about his future than any press release from the front office.